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Why We Walk – Laura Milne

Aug 24, 2017

Laura Milne

“My mom grew up in a remote area of Northern BC when she was a child. Her family had moved up there to open a general store that was quite far away from town. Their lives ended up becoming quite intertwined with the indigenous community there. Her father would trade dried goods from his store with some of the people for Mukluks for my mom and her siblings, and some kind people would pick her up on dogsleds to take her to school. It was this respectful, cooperative, healthy trading relationship that evolved naturally, and it helped my mom’s family grow accustomed to life in that region.

Hearing her stories of growing up like that, I feel a gratitude to those people who became connected with her and who had stewarded that land for centuries before her family arrived. My mom passed along to me the values of respect and honour that must be upheld in our relationships with Indigenous people. So to me, reconciliation feels like a responsibility. There is so much healing that has to happen that we all must take part in. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the work that needs to be done to mend the relationship, but we need to take whatever steps we can and trust that it will take time. It’s an honour to do whatever I can to steward reconciliation. I do my best, but I also know I have more to learn.”

The Why We Walk campaign asks individuals to share their story and personal connection to the reconciliation movement. Stories will be shared in the weeks leading up to the Walk for Reconciliation on September 24th, 2017.

We believe that every person has a story to tell and that by sharing these stories, people may feel a more personal connection to the reconciliation movement.